Msn emoticon shaking head saying no

This just happened last night, my homie and I are in Thailand right now visiting friends and family.
Last week we discovered this small barestaurant and have been there nearly everyday since. Food is great, they got giant margaritas, and we’ve made friends with the awesome staff there.
Yesterday after getting matching “Shrimps is Bugs” tattoos we went to the bar to drink and eat. We’re playing pool, chilling with our waitress, she’s laughing at our stupid tattoos, and then this boomer comes up and asks my friend where he’s from. We start talking to him and he seems pretty cool, he told us he just moved back to Thailand a couple of weeks ago and his friend owns the restaurant we’re at.
He challenges the winner to get their ass kicked at pool, so I beat my bro and told Boomer to get over here as he’s next, and this is where he gets insanely obnoxious. He’s loud af, curses like he’s a kid who just learned bad words, and starts bringing up politics and libs destroying America. My buddy is laughing his ass off because he can tell I’m getting annoyed and after I lose the first game he invites Boomer to join our table to have drinks and to annoy me some more. (Here’s my bro asking him questions and Boomer starts talking nonsense about Trump being God)
Boomer buys a round of tequila shots for us and after we take them this group next to our table goes to play pool and Boomer jumps out of his seat yelling at them saying he’s the winner, its his table, wait their turn, etc. It was crazy rude and Thai people are so polite and non-confrontational they just apologized and sat back down. I went to them and asked if they wanted to play teams and they agreed.
Over the next 30 minutes my friend and I got to know the other group, they’re great people, and had to apologize to all of them over and over again because Boomer is the worst person to play pool with ever. He’s getting more drunk by the minute, talking all this shit, rude, obnoxious, etc. They end up not wanting to play anymore so I challenge him 1 more time to shut him up and this is where it all goes downhill.
He’s pissed off because I called a foul and ball in hand when he hits my stripe ball before he hits his solid. He says I’m just making up rules and its not a foul. Then he does it again when I’m on the 8 ball only, he hits the 8 ball without hitting his balls and I call a foul and pick up the cue ball. Boomer flips shit at this because its basically and instant win for me and he tries snatching the ball out of my hand. I’m just laughing my ass off at this point and tell him to stop crying and take his loss.
What does he do? He throws his pool stick across the table onto the floor, cusses me out, ragequits and walks back to our table. Our waitresses look scared and don’t know what to do so I go to him and the convo goes like this.
Me: Hey dude don’t disrespect this place or the staff here like that, you can’t just throw their things around that’s ridiculous.
Boomer: My friend owns this place I can do whatever the fuck I want to do.
Me: No you can’t, you can’t just come here disrespecting the staff, disrespecting the customers, its a fucking game you need to chill out.
Then he gets closer to my face and starts screaming and cussing at me even louder, telling me I’m a cheater and making up fake rules, he’ll do whatever the fuck he wants, his friend owns the bar, etc. While he’s yelling at me he’s got this entitled smug smile on his face and I just lost control and pushed him back away from me. It wasn’t a forceful push, I wasn’t trying to hurt the dude or anything, but fuck he’s a 60yo drunk boomer and lost his balance and fell onto the table of the people we played pool with and knocked it over.
I was mad embarrassed I didn’t mean for it to happen like that I just wanted him out of my face and to shut up. Our waitress grabbed me and led me outside. I’m apologizing like crazy and she and the other waitress are telling me and bro its okay, that dude is crazy, always causing problems, he’s friends with the boss so they can’t kick him out but they said I gotta leave right now and I can come back any other time after they talk with the boss.
Gonna head there again here in a couple of hours and make sure if I broke anything I’ll pay for it, hopefully everything is still cool between us and that place as we’re only here a few more days and planned on being there everyday.

First off let me say it was his idea to share locations to begin with. We’ve been having a lot of issues lately regarding not spending time together. He is always working 4 am- 10 am then 10 am-5pm & lately he’s spending a lot of times at his moms house. I work a full time Job and never have any time to myself I’m always taking care of the kids I do 95 percent of everything for them. While cleaning the house. He does the cooking or he buys the food if we eat out. I feel like we spend no time together on top of feeling like I have no life. The other night he left work early and our dog had to get a rabies vaccine. He had time to stop home before tending to his grandma but I still had to take an extra long lunch break to take the dog to get it done. Even though technically it’s his dog I told him I didn’t want a dog but I take more care of it then he does. So anyway besides the point. The other night he was at his moms I could see his location and he said he wouldn’t be long. He ended up running errands for her at 11 o’clock at night . And I could see it from his location. I was pissed and confronted him about why why never spend time together and he could do that for her but can’t help me out with HIS dog or spend time with me. He turned it off that night and hasn’t turned it back on since. I finally decided to ask him what’s up. We’ve shared it for 5 years and you just turn it off now. Saturday night he spent the whole night out and didn’t come home. I did confirm where he was but I was up all night and couldn’t sleep. And that’s not something he typically does. It would’ve saved me a nights sleep if I had the location since he stopped communicating with me. I asked him about the location and this is how the convo went. I really need input and another perspective about this.
I called him on the phone to ask him then his phone died so he text me back
Him : Babe do as you please. My location settings is off which means I can’t see your location anyhow. When I turn it back on you can see mine.
Me : I know that babe but why do you turn it off ? You either want to share or you don’t. That’s what I’m asking babe. You never used to just shut it off so I am confused as to the random ons and offs.
Him: Cause I’m not worried about it. I feel like shit though babe
Me: I am worried about it though. So do you want to just turn it off and be done with it ? Cause it would’ve came in handy when I was wondering where you were on Saturday night all night. Would’ve saved me some anxiety.
Him: Do what you want babe. Thank you babe. What time y’all leaving?
Me: I don’t know but I’m asking you collectively. It was your idea to share the locations to begin with and I’m telling you something is bothering me. It’s literally as simple as pressing a button to fix it. If you don’t want to do that babe let me know.
Him: I’ll press the button when it’s important babe. It’s not like I can see yours. That’s all I have to say about it. Are yall going to the aquarium or the boys being bad.
Me: We’ve done it for 5 years I don’t understand why it’s suddenly different now though suddenly you aren’t worried about it ? Right when we’re going through hard times. We are about to go I’ve got to get myself together.
Him: Why are you pressing it so bad like I go so many damn places? Like damn it’s not that serious especially when I’m a call or FaceTime away. Because I don’t care to turn it on unless I’m in an unfamiliar place where you got to worry about me. As of now I don’t do shit I only go to family house so I’ll turn it on when I need to.
Me: Then what was the point of all this time having it on constantly ?
Him: Why is this even a debate? We shouldn’t even be going back and forth over this. It’s not even that serious Smfh. Let’s just spark more problems
Me: I just figured turning it back on would be a simple fix but I’ll just be quiet. My reasoning is that I’m used to it so I wanna know what’s different now. Clearly there was a change of heart for some reason. But it’s ok. Do what you think is best.
Him: Why do you go through these phases? Drilling shit in your head so that you put yourself in a bad place
Me: If your spouse does something for years then suddenly changes it puts you in a weird mindset. Especially when there’s no compromising or reason behind it.
Am I wrong ? Am I overreacting or acting controlling ? I just feel there was no explanation as to why especially when we’re not going through the best time in our marriage why wouldn’t you just want to put your wife’s mind at ease ??

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-69017289
More than 60 pages of WhatsApp messages between Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ministers have been published by the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
The messages give an insight into the thoughts of some of the party's most senior figures as the pandemic spread.
The WhatsApp group chat covers the period between January and November 2020.
No internal messages between Sinn Féin politicians have been published by the inquiry.
Michelle O'Neill, whose WhatsApp messages from this period were wiped from the devices issued to her as deputy first minister, has told the inquiry that she accepts that these messages should not have been deleted.
"I accept that I should have kept my additional exchanges, in particular with Arlene [Foster], and anything else that was relevant," she said.
But DUP politicians' messages have been published and they are often candid. They include jibes at ministers from other parties in Stormont's executive.
On 17 January, six days after the executive was restored following a three-year-hiatus, a person whose name has been redacted by the inquiry wrote: "SF [Sinn Féin] doesn't seem to have matured at all!"
Emma Little-Pengelly, who was then a DUP special adviser and is now deputy first minister, replied with apparent sarcasm.
"Well, why not - let English taxpayers subsidise our free prescriptions, lower rates, no water charges, lower tuition fees and free prescriptions.. but hey, how dare you guys starve us of funding #Perfidious Albion," she wrote.
'Catholic church hasn't the best track record' Lord Weir, who was education minister at the time, commented on 13 March about the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland writing to him to call for schools to be closed.
The DUP minister said of the Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin: "Wasn't aware of his qualifications in virology."
A person whose name has been redacted replied: "Write back and tell him we don't live in the South [Republic of Ireland] and that his institution hasn't the best track record of looking out for the welfare of kids."
On 14 March, there was criticism of Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O'Neill, who was deputy first minister at that time, after she broke ranks with the executive to call for school closures.
Edwin Poots, the DUP agriculture minister at the time, acknowledged that schools would have to close at some point, but said the "response needs to be measured and reassuring".
On 17 March, as the pandemic became more acute, Mrs Little-Pengelly proposed a "four-nations press conference" with the prime minister.
Ministers didn't sleepwalk into pandemic - Foster
DUP Covid lockdown messages published by inquiry
Bobby Storey - Michelle O'Neill says sorry at Covid Inquiry
"All devolved regions with PM on televised conference to reassure people," she wrote.
Mrs Little-Pengelly said the public "need to see leaders speaking", adding that "any confusion compounds panic".
Naomi Long 'hard to listen to' Some messages point towards tensions between executive ministers during meetings to discuss the pandemic.
There were several jibes at Justice Minister Naomi Long, leader of the Alliance Party.
On 7 May, Lord Weir said Mrs Long was "hard to listen to", and on 23 July he wrote: "Naomi talking about wind instruments - oh the irony!"
On 9 November, Lord Weir said Ms O'Neill was "making a pig's ear of this" to which Mr Poots replied: "Comes naturally."
'Sour bake' On 6 August, Lord Weir appeared to refer to an exchange between Mr Poots and Nichola Mallon, at the time the Social Democratic and Labour Party's minister in the executive.
A person then wrote: "Edwin you managed to take her from zero to skywards v v quickly!!"
Mr Poots replied: "It's a speciality of mine. Enjoying the sour bake on her face now."
In another message on 15 June which appears to reference Sinn Féin Junior Minister Declan Kearney, Lord Weir wrote: "Where would we be without Declan's philosophical musings."
A person whose name is redacted replied: "At a shorter meeting."

Occasionally, when I attempt to lucid dream It either works out or I end up having sleep paralysis however ive been experiencing something new and its pretty comparable to sleep paralysis. I fell asleep (kinda) my mind was awake my body was a sleep so i was basically paralyzed but i only had little movements like each limb had a weight on it limiting my movement so i could barley move and i could talk but barley and what i saw was everything shaking and i heard voices, i tried my best to turn it into a lucid dream but i failed, i learned to stay calm because i knew it was all inside my head so i had little to no fear during the situation regarding past sleep paralysis.

Please bear with me as this may be a long one.
I (F) am 26 years old and have not lived with my parents since 18 (went to college moved to another city for work etc). My parents have never 100% supported me financially (not a lack of funds, rather to be spiteful and to hold it over my head), we have never had a great relationship mostly due to how they treated me and the poor life choices they have made. I am quite successful in my career, although it does take a few years to work yourself up in my career (legal field) as you work on salary and commission and need to build up clients. I know I am 26 but we study and do practical so I only finished that last year. Recently I found myself facing a hard financial time (I have to move to another city to accept a better work opportunity and had to pay double rent and deposit, my previous boss also did not pay me my full salary and notice period (even though I did work the month though and my notice period & that is the law here).
I reached out to my parents for help and I was offered a loan with high pay back, which I rejected (lending money through a bank would be a better deal). Now everyone is fighting with everyone. That however is not the reason I want to cut them off, just another fight to add to the long list of rubbing each other the wrong way. For as long as I can remember they have been very absent in my life (I hardly ever saw my father growing up and when I did he would always yell, swore at me and belittle me, the usual "you will never amount to anything" etc). My earliest memory of my father was him cussing at me, I was 3 years old and I remember it like yesterday. My mother although, she did try and made a effort made a lot of messed up decisions in her life which cost her almost everything. That led to her being dependent on my father as well, even though they are divorced (she moved back in with my father a few years back because she couldn't afford to survive on her own anymore, she also isn't treated great and I do feel sorry for her, but in my opinion she did bring it upon herself. My father has done horrible things like, swore at me, said thing no person should ever say to another person, let alone a parent, slapped me and threatened me, e.g. if I didn't do this he wont give me money for food, if I didn't do that he wont help me though college etc. (Just a note, he forced me to go study and held it against me if we ever had an argument). I have always been respectful towards them, but after a few years I also snapped and started arguing back (I usually just cried and went to my room). I have never gotten into any trouble, never had any issues with anyone, so generally I was a good teenager and adult. I always help them with anything they need etc.
Just to give you idee, he wouldn't give me money for things growing up, not in college and I was a full time student, so I couldn't take a half day work. When I first started working I earned just enough to cover fuel, medical aid, rent, utilities, I could not afford food and other necessities every month and would reach out and ask for a small amount of money like 5 dollars or less small. You can imagine how that went, I had to pray to make the fuel last each month to get to work every day. Anyways, he has "friends", people who only surround him for benefits (everyone can see it for what it is, except him) he supports them financially, food, money, alcohol, cloths, pays for their children's school, clothing etc. Mind you, he didn't pay my school fees and was handed over to debt collection, he didn't buy me clothes growing up etc. My though always was, why them and not me, why random people off the street (not actually homeless people or the less fortunate), why am I not enough, but they are. I ask for 5 dollars or food, no big problem, gets insulted, but he will give them 100 dollars for alcohol and to go out and eat (no joke that actually happened). I would sit and not be able to afford monthly expenses and he would call and brag about him taking them out to eat, buying cases of alcohol. And mind you it has been so for more than 10 years, so it isn't like he is doing this now that I am an adult, he this when I was still a child.
Almost everyone think very highly of him, he is always the center of attention, the best person, if I ever told anyone how he treated me he would get very upset and even slapped me once, because he didn't want me telling people that he wasn't the best, I didn't lie nor exaggerate either. Another example is I was in a relationship with a man who handled me very badly (as in abuse in the worst kind of way), my father liked him and knew what had happened. Shortly after I left the relationship, he had him over for a get together and drinks. It has been a constant cycle of manipulation, disrespect, arguing, being belittled, screamed at, swore at and mistreatment for as long as I can remember, I have gone no contact a few times but every time I am reeled back in and it goes well for a few weeks and then back to the same old thing. Addressing it does help, I have tried over and over to convey my feelings, to try and make it better, explain why I feel like I feel, but it does absolutely nothing.
So AITA? Because I do feel guilty and like I am TAH.

TLDR: A close long-time male friend (20M) from high school has been telling me he loves me (20F) for years. He lacks goals, stability and we differ on religious/cultural values. Despite a deep bond, I have concerns about pursuing a romantic relationship due to these incompatibilities, even though he might change - but I don't know if he would. Should I give a relationship a go or leave things as they are currently?
Throwaway account because I need advice before I go mentally insane. There's a guy that I started to talk to in high school. I didn’t know him but he seemed like my type (same religion/spirituality, same ethnicity, tall, good vibes) and so we started to talk because I wanted to get to know him better.
Fast forward to a couple weeks after we start talking, he tells me he loves this other girl that we both know (we all go to the same school). He tells me all of his issues with her and how he’s depressed about her not liking him back and I'm like oh. I never knew he felt this way about her. He said that he would always love her and he just has a feeling that they will end up together.
In my head, I was friendzoned and honestly I was okay with it because we only talked for like 2 weeks before he told me about his past situationship with that girl. We kept texting though and we ended up getting really close (he wasn’t in a situationship during this, he was just grieving the fact that she didn’t like him back).
Fast forward 5 months, we're super close now. But then he completely disappears, no calls, no texts and right before he disappeared he told me he doesn't want to talk to me anymore. That broke me. Then a month later he comes back out of nowhere and apologizes about what he did and says he was in a bad mental state and he just needed to be alone. I was so hesitant to let him back in because I still felt broken from that last conversation. But he apologized so much so I caved and said I guess we can be friends. We went to the same school too, so I'd see him every day regardless, including when he completely stopped talking to me. He also has mental health issues and has been told by doctors to get properly diagnosed but he hasn’t done it.
Then we start talking again and 6 months later he tells me he loves me. I was shocked, because remember he spent the first couple weeks of us talking telling me about how he'd always love that other girl and they were destined to end up together. So in my head I'm like "uhh...are you sure about this?"
We had our big final exams coming up too, so I wasn't trying to start anything romantic that could mess with my studying. I already knew he was capable of sending me on an emotional rollercoaster, and I didn't need that affecting my academics. So I told him I didn’t feel the same way about him, leaving him heartbroken. We still saw each other every day for the next 2 years at school and would text on and off. He told me he would be willing to wait till we were older, but I didn't want to give him false hope and told him I cannot guarantee him anything.
We ended up both graduating and are now at university and at this point, I thought he had moved on. We spoke 4 or 5 times during our freshman year and they were 8+ hour long calls or full days of texting. Now we are in our sophomore year and he tells me he still loves me. I don’t know what to do. I legitimately thought he was over me and moved on. I feel like I'm just shattering his heart into a million pieces at this point, because sometimes when we talk he seems so emotionless, like he's just numb from the pain. Now we speak occasionally every few months and sometimes every few weeks. He just texts me out of the blue or calls me.
But he thinks I don't love him back. The thing is I don't want to let myself love him back, because he has never given me a sense of stability. Since I met him he has always acted on very strong emotions, gets very upset and very angry and that has rubbed onto me. Whenever he would get sad, I would get sad and I felt like I had no control over my own emotions when I was around him. If I was in a happy mood and he was upset about something, he would get angry at me for being happy while he was upset. I also feel like he has no goals in life. He's just cruising along whereas I want someone who's very goal oriented and has a stable job because I am very goal oriented. I have done a lot better than him academically speaking as well. Sometimes I think it is my fault for him not trying because I broke his heart by saying I didn't love him back, but I think that’s a stupid thought and I'm not responsible for him acting the way he does and slacking off.
I also realized that despite him being the same ethnicity, he isn't in touch with his background at all which is very different to me. And due to this, I 100% know that my family will not be fond of his family and my family will not be happy with me dating him. They are aware of him though and know that we used to be close friends. He is also not religious/spiritual. I would say I'm 100 times more religious/spiritual than him. I have met other guys who do align with my goals in terms of stable careers and hardworking, enjoys traveling, and has the same religion/spirituality. But I just have not known these guys as long as I have known him. I feel like we both either have attachment issues or a trauma bond or we are just some dysfunctional soulmates.
A part of me wants to give him a shot, but I don't want to end up trying to mold him into who I want him to be. I don't want to nag him about studying harder at university or tell him to travel just because that's what I'm into. If I do that, he may grow to resent me down the line because he would have only made those changes because I pushed him, not because it's what he genuinely wanted for himself. The truth is, he just doesn't seem to have any goals of his own right now.
Another part of me thinks that if we try to make it romantic, it could completely ruin the relationship we've built over all these years. We're still at a point where we can reach out to each other for help when we really need it. I don't want to risk damaging that bond by giving a romantic relationship a shot, only for it to backfire and make us end up resenting or even hating each other.
I also feel like I'd be doing myself a disservice by giving him a chance. There are certain non-negotiable qualities I need in a partner, and he just doesn't display those. I feel like I'd be settling if I committed to him. I don't want to spend my life having to constantly manage his emotions and push him to take action. I don't want to mother him - I already felt that way when we were very close before.
After all these years, I still have an emotional bond with him though. And he still says he loves me. I have tried no contact multiple times, the longest being around a year. But it just hasn’t worked. The other girl he mentioned in the first two weeks of us talking many years ago is long gone by the way. It's been just me and him in that sense for a long time now. And we have so many mutuals and know the same people, which makes fully separating impossible. But I don’t know if taking the risk and giving him a shot is the way to go or if leaving things as they currently are is the better option.

This is my first time using reddit and by doing this—typing all this shit down in here—I feel like I could at least feel less burdened.
I don't know how to start because my mind is a mess right now, so basically:
I am genuinely in love with studying and writing in general (this doesn't necessarily make me an exemplary student tho), however I am currently failing in my academic duties. I have not submitted a single assessment this year nor have I really worked on what I personally wanted to do with my undergrad thesis, and the only thing I do is answer my professors' exams.
I am also the current Editor-in-chief of our college's publication. A leadership position I am unfortunately failing at. I have made so many narrow-minded decisions, and I feel like I should stop my clownery act and resign already despite my deepest wishes not to.
I blame everything on my own laziness, stupidity, and some of my other unresolved issues, some of which I couldn't even identify.

Regarding my academic life: I just can't find the drive to simply START my assessments immediately to thr point that I just forget about them and not submit. It seems that I just keep on procrastinating—putting everything off to the side. However, when I do get to start answering an assessment: I just enjoy constructing every single sentence, and if we are given the freedom to add designs, then it's all the better. But with just a few hours in, I just stop. I get mind-blocked. And as aforementioned: I do every other thing besides that assessment until I just forget about it and end up without anything to submit.
It sounds stupid, but it's something I've been deeply struggling with for a whole year now. It's unfortunate as well, since we now have professors who actually care for the things we do, read the shit we submit and gives helpful comments on them.
I am currently trying to catch up with the heap of shit I got to submit.
As for my publication life: I've had the great opportunity to meet great people from every other program/course from both the lower and higher years. Some of those people are now members and officers of the publication, and most of the people I have met are simply, amazing, not for just putting up with my shit and by being kind and open-minded, but for also giving the publication a chance.
I love the publication and the members and officers we have, and I could probably say that I mostly abide by its motto about the truth, but no matter how much I love—how I feel about this publication, I am pretty sure I am currently bringing it more harm than good.
We have a system wherein we would timely post campus events we were requested to cover, but I haven't been able to keep up. I also don't think about asking anybody to post it on our page since I feel like they might be busy. This is especially harmful since my members took photos for those events, and I feel like I'm making them and their efforts feel exploited and unrecognized.
Speaking of our page, it has been so inactive to the point where the presence of the publication is non-existent.
A brand new non-official organization was established recently. They act similar to the publication in many ways, but we don't exactly compete with each other, however we indirectly do due to the vision we share. Most of my members have migrated and my officers have been scouted by that organization due to how the current leader runs things (which I look up to him for) and how thry have more creativr freedom and it has made me feel unneeded and more useless, but that's not their fault.
I've also recently felt so overwhelmed to the point where I've felt like I wanted to vomit everytime I woke up or even think about the publication. Our "Head" for our publication is also pretty much a mess and is someone who I would like to partly blame for the way I am concurrently due to her demeaning and irrational actions and treatment towards me, my officers, and the student leaders she manages directly.
As for my narrow-minded, tunnel-vision decisions, they are so bad to the point I simply want to disappear instead. In fact, I've been deeply considering about ending my life because of how I've fucked up what I envisioned for myself and how they've been affecting the people around me.

The problem with tahreef is that you can’t authenticate hadeeth narrations, as in Shias can no longer prove a narration is weak or strong by checking whether it goes against the Quran
A person cannot be a true Twelver Shi’ah except if he believes that the Quran is Muharaf! [1]
While this might seem strange, what follows is even stranger. Ahl Al-Sunnah transmitted the Quran from the Prophet [May Blessings of Allah and Peace be upon him and his household] through Tawatur [2] and a multitude of widespread authentic chains. These Mushafs that are printed today, and people all over the world read from, are from one of these four narrations:

1. The narration of Hafs from ‘Asim, and this is widespread in the Arabian Gulf, Egypt, Shaam, Iraq, and Yemen.
2. The second is the narration of Warsh from Nafi’, and this is common in Morocco and Algeria.
3. The third narration is that of Qalon from Nafi’, and it is widespread in Libya.
4. The fourth is the narration of Al-Duwri from Abi ‘Amr, and this is common in Chad and the South of Sudan.

In addition to these there are other narrations which are not that common among people, but are being taught in institutes and Universities.
So ask [May Allah bless you, benefit you, and make you a benefit for others] … ask their scholars: Where is the Quran of Aal Al-Bayt? Where is the Mushaf which the Imams narrate and transmit from each other?
Where is the chain of: Al-‘Askari from the way of Al-Hadi from Al- Jawad from Al-Ridaa form Al-Kazim from Al-Sadiq from Al-Baqir from Zayn Al-‘Abideen from Al-Husien (the grandson of the Prophet) or Al-Hasan (the grandson of the Prophet) from Ali [May Allah be pleased with them all]?
Did the students of these Imams narrate everything from them except the Quran?!!
Are the scholars of the Shi’ah capable of producing a chain of the Quran up to the Messenger [May Blessings of Allah and Peace be upon him and his household] without relying on or referring back to the chains of Ahl Al-Sunnah?!! I am definite that they are incapable of producing such a thing, so go back to them and check if they can correct me. What I think they will say to you, though, is: there is a narration, and it is the narration of Hamza Al-Zayaat from the way of Al-Sadiq from Al-Baqir from Zayn Al-‘Abideen from Al-Husien from Ali.
This should raise another important question: Why is this being narrated by Hamza Al-Zayaat [3] from Al-Sadiq [4], and not by Al-Kazim [from Al-Sadiq]? And why isn’t Al-Kazim’s son: Al-Rida narrating this from him? And why isn’t Al-Jawad narrating it from Al-Rida … this is a very important point to pay attention to.
Then I add to this another question to the Shi’ah: Where are your chains today to Hamza Al-Zayaat? And where is the recitation of Hamza Al-Zayaat being recited today?
All the countries that the Shi’ah recite Quran in today follow: the narration of Hafs from ‘Asim, the narration of Warsh from Nafi’, the narration of Qalon from Nafi’, or the narration of Al-Duwri from Abi ‘Amr. Where is the narration of Hamza? I do not know of a Mushaf that is printed upon the narration of Hamza on this day.
If the Companions were Apostates, especially the famous ones from among them, and they were the ones that transmitted the Quran: How can a Shi’ah trust the narration of those who he believe are Apostates? This Quran that is between our hands today, is from the narration of those companions of the Prophet [May Blessings of Allah and Peace be upon him and his household], and it is the one narrated by Hafs from the way of ‘Asim from Abi ‘Abdulrahman Al-Salami from ‘Uthman and Ali and Ubi and Zayd.
Where is the chain of the Shi’ah to Hafs or to Warsh or to Qalon or to Al-Duwri?
After answering these questions you would understand why we said that you will not be a shi’ah except if you say that the Quran had been subject to Tahreef.
We add to this, that some Shi’a scholars, such as Ni’mat-u-Allah Al- Jazai’ri [5], Al-Nuri Al-Tabrasi [6] , and others proclaimed that Mutawatir narrations were transmitted from the infallible Imams stating that the Quran is Muharaf, yet you do not find even one narration from the Imams clearly stating that the Quran is free from any such Tahreef. The first to say that [the Quran is] free from Tahreef from their earlier scholars are four, they are: Al-Tabrasi Abu Ali[7], Al-Tusi[8] , Al-Murtada [9], and Al-Saduq [10]. As for Al-Mufeed [11] he has two sayings in this matter.
It follows, that all those who claim to follow the Twelve Imams should also say [as their Imams are reported to have said] that the Quran has been subject to Tahreef, since the narrations that came from the way of the Imams attested to such a thing. As for those who don’t wish to follow the Imams and choose to follow someone else, like Al-Tusi, Al-Murtada, Al-Saduq, and Al-Tabrasi then that is their matter.
For that reason you will find that the scholars of Ahl Al-Sunnah are strict in this matter, and say that whoever says that the Quran is Muharaf is a Kaffir, and they clearly declare such a thing based on what Allah the Exalted said: {Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian}Hijr 15:9 . The scholars of the Shi’ah, on the other hand, do not say that, rather they just say that he who says such a thing is just mistaken.
Many times we hear of a narration called “Hadith Al-Thaqalayn”, and the Thaqalayn as is known are: The Book of Allah, and Aal Al- Bayt. This tradition, which came in the Shiah books, state that the Quran is the Major [Thiql], and Aal Al-Bayt is the minor Thiql. So after this we say:
Don’t all the scholars of the Shi’ah with no exception, say that the killers of Al-Husien [May Allah be pleased with him] are Apostates, since Al-Husien [May Allah be pleased with him] is a member of the minor Thiql, thus his killers are Apostates due to their attack on a member of the minor Thiql, based on this tradition. Yet they do not accuse any of those who attack the major Thiql, the Quran, of any of that?!
For that reason a huge number … yes a huge number … from the big Shi’ah scholars said that the Quran is Muharaf. So do you accept these [scholars] as the symbols and heads of the Mazhab you are attributed to? [These are the scholars] whom you ask Allah to bestow his Mercy on, and whom you highly praise the knowledge and books they left behind. Do you know, May Allah Bless you, that Husien Al-Nuri Al- Tabrasi 13 said that the Noble Quran has ridiculous, silly verses (I ask refuge in Allah for me and you from such Apostasy)!
I ask you: Is he after saying that a Muslim?! What he said can be found in his evil book: “Fasl Al-Khitab Fee Ithbaat Tahreef Kitab Rab Al-Arbab” .
Go ask Shia scholars, ask them about the status of that man among the scholars of the Twelver Shiahs.
If we do not stand up to defend the Quran, and we do not show animosity towards those who disrespect it, and do not free ourselves from those who attack it, then By Allah how can our Islam remain correct. Push Shia scholars, May Allah bless you, to declare all those who slander and attack the Quran as non Muslims, in the same way as they openly declare the Apostasy of the Nawasib [12] [May Allah curse them], even though the Nawasib showed animosity to humans i.e. the household of the Prophet. Why then don’t the Shiah scholars also declare as Apostates and curse those who show animosity or attack the Book of Allah the Exalted.
As for us Ahl Al-Sunnah, we Praise Allah, who has guided us to the path where we do not distinguish between those who attack the Book of Allah, or the Household of the Messenger, or his Companions. We have one Manhaj in defending all that which is revered in this Religion. We show animosity and free ourselves from all those who attack the Book of Allah, rather we declare him as an Apostate, and we hate and free ourselves from all those who slander and attack the household of the Messenger [Blessings and Peace of Allah be upon him and his household] or the companions of our Prophet [Blessings of Allah and Peace upon him].
Shias will usually tell you about the burning, the goat & ibn umar like atheists do: www.twelvershia.net/2015/11/25/defense-sunni-view-quran/
You do realise the Qur'an is an oral tradition, don't you. If you can't accept this then I am afraid you have to become Sunni because the earliest traditions are Sunni.
The earliest Hadith books are Sunni. The earliest Fiqh books are Sunni. The earliest 'Aqidah books are Sunni. The earliest Sirah books are Sunni. These were written several hundred years before Shiite books were written. Study and read the earliest books, and you will gain a good understanding.
Shias might attempt to steal the chains in the Sunni books and attribute them to themselves, which is pathetic and shows the weakness of their way. `Asim bin abi al-Nujoud, Hafs bin Sulayman and Hamzah al-Zayyat are all great Imams of Ahlul-Sunnah, the Twelvers cannot prove that they were Rafidhi imami Shia neither through their books or ours. If they were to prove that they were Shia, the Shia of the time were Sunni in their worship, and even if they try their best to prove that they were Rafidhah, then even the Imamiyyah at the time had different sects all of them enemies who make Takfeer on each-other.
By consensus`Asim and Hafs are two great Imams of Qira’at. The weakness attributed to Hafs is in regards to his skills as narrator, and the accusation of him being a liar is a baseless exaggeration. And if true still doesn’t strengthen Shia’s view.
The rules for the authentication of a narrator in a Hadithi chain are different than the rules for the authentication of a Qur’ani recitation.
1 Tahreef is the belief that the Quran has been subject to alteration after the Death of Prophet Muhammad [Blessings and Peace be upon him], and that the Quran that we have today is not the same as the one left to us by him [Blessings and Peace be upon him]. Such a belief would place one outside the fold of Islam according to the Scholars of Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jama’ah.
2 Tawatur or Mutawatir is a narration reported by a significant number of narrators at each level of the chain of narration, in such a way that it becomes beyond possibility that these narrators could have conspired to forge such narration. It is of the highest level of authenticity, and the highest level of Tawatur is that of the Quran.
3 Hamza Al-Zayaat (80 H to 156/8 H): He is Hamza b. Habib b. ‘Imarah Al-Zayat Al-Kufi. He is one of the scholars of his time in the Qiraat. He was known for his worship and piety. He took the Quran from: Sulaiman Al-A’mash, Humraan b. A’yan, Ja’far b. Muhammad Al-Sadiq, Abu Ishaq Al-Subai’y, and many others.
4 Original source did not mention Al-Sadiq, however according to books of Qiraat Al-Sadiq was one of those Hamza Al-Zayaat took the Quran from not Al-Baqir (Refer to Ghayat Al-Nihaya). The next paragraph was modified accordingly.
55 Ni’mat Allah Al-Jazaeri (1050 H – 1112 H): is a highly praised Shi’ah scholar. From his scholars are Muhammad Baqir Al-Majlisi (known as Al-‘Alamah Al-Majlisi) and Muhammad Mohsen (known as Al-Fayd Al-Kashani), as well as many others. He was praised by a number of Shia scholars including Al-Majlisi in the Ijazah he gave him, Al-Hur Al-‘Amili, Yusuf Al-Bahrani, as well as others. Refer to what he said about Tahreef Al-Quran in his book: Al-Anwaar Al-Nu’maniyah
6 Husien Al-Nuri Al-Tabrasi (1254 H – 1320 H): He was praised by the Shia Shaykh Aaqa Al- Tahrani who said of him: “… One of the greatest scholars of the Shia, and one of the grandest men of Islam in this century”. Also Al-Sayid Mohsen Al-Ameen said of him: “He was a noble scholar, a Muhadith, with great knowledge in both the Science of Hadith and Narrators … He was the most unique scholars of his time when it comes to knowledge of narrations and traditions …”. He is the author of the book: Fasl Al-Khitaab fee Ithbaat tahreef Kitab Rab Al-Arbab. 7 Al-Fadl b. Al-Hasan Al-Tabrasi (460 H – 548 H): The author of Majma’ Al-Bayan fee Tafseer Al- Quran.
8 Muhammad b. Al-Hasan Al-Tusi (385 H – 460 H): Known as Shaykh Al-Taefah. 9 Ali b. Al-Husien known as Al-Sayid Al-Murtada (355 H – 436 H). 10 Abu Ja’far Muhammad b. Ali b. Musa b. Babawayh Al-Qumi (305 H – 381 H): known as Al- Shaykh Al-Saduq.
11 Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Al-Nu’man (336 H – 413 H): Abu Abdullah Al-Mufeed.
12 Who are the Naasibis and what is the ruling on them? http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/43322/

Hi reddit!
2 months ago I met this girl in Korea and we instantly clicked. She is intelligent and passionate about many things. From the day we met we have pretty much been seeing each other almost every day and now we even stay together. It seems to be moving fast but we get along quite well and its the first time she has ever lived with someone like this.
I started to notice a few red flags that I tried to ignore at first. I noticed she would get several Instagram DM notifications from guys and they all tended to be foreigners like me. When I asked how she knows so many guys, she said they were just friends and that I shouldn't worry. I never want to be a paranoid controlling boyfriend so I just took her word for it and moved on.
Later, she casually mentioned that she cheated several times on her ex. I asked how she could feel okay with that and she said that she feels no guilt because he never found out and therefore never got hurt. She also mentioned how her best friend cheats on all her boyfriends and that she thinks there is nothing wrong with it as long as they never find out. I told her that this means she will probably cheat on me too but she said I was different and that I am the first guy who she feels in love with and wants to settle down with.
This tension came to a head when I noticed she was texting a guy on Instagram and agreeing to meet up with him for a drink. When she exited the message I saw a list of guys in her inbox and in one of them, she called the guy babe. I also saw she was still texting her ex and another guy who she intended to meet when she goes to London in August. I went to our room, packed my bags and was ready to leave right there and then until she noticed what I was doing and begged me to talk to her and tell her what was wrong. I told her everything and she explained that she had no intention of meeting anyone and that she calls everyone babe. She apparently only said those things just to gently decline men's invitations later on when she would just flake on them. She then said that those men had girlfriends so there was no way she could possibly date them and she even offered to show me her messages so that I could trust her. I said no because I didn't want to set a toxic precedent for this relationship.
She said that she's not used to being in a serious committed relationship and assumed we were in a situationship and that's why she still talked to those men. But earlier on in our relationship she said she hoped I wasn't still talking to girls I met online. So there's some hypocrisy at work too.
There was another incident when I wanted to show her my favorite film, A Clockwork Orange, and it did not go well. She said she was disgusted, which is fair because it is a dark film. But then she said that maybe I'm not the guy she thought I was because I like this film. She was upset and went to bed.
The other night we went to a club, which really isn't my thing. We met her friend and I told her to have fun while I go outside and chill. Things were fine until I saw her talking to a bunch of guys and I could see by the body language that she was talking and gazing at this one tall guy with keen interest. I ignored it until I saw them exchange each other's Instagram's. There is nothing wrong with that alone, but I could just feel that deep inside she was attracted to this one tall guy and I could see it in her eyes and posture. So I decided to leave. I was about to leave in my uber until she came running out and told me she can't believe I'm leaving without her. Turns out her friend saw me leaving and told her so she panicked and ran out the club.
I told her that I could just feel that she was liked the male attention and it felt like she was monkey branching. She told me she just wanted connections for when she went to England. Turns out these guys came from the UK. She then begged me to trust her and started posting me on her IG story to let people know she wasn't single.
She tells me how she praises me in front of her friends and family and that I'm the first guy she has ever truly felt something for. She says she is trying her best to make me feel secure by ghosting all her male Instagram buddies and promising that she will never cheat. She smothers me with affection and always tells me how much she adores me. Trust me, I feel like an idiot because these are huge red flags and yet I'm still with her. The only reason I am with her is because I'm just not that much invested into this relationship and I don't feel hurt that deeply by these red flags. I know that I can just find someone else if this relationship doesn't work out so I'm taking this casually.
My question to reddit is not whether I should leave or not (because I think we all know the answer to that), but what do you think will happen if I continue this relationship? I hope you guys can share your experiences so that I am more motivated to rip off the band aid and just end things here and now.
TL;DR: My 2 month girlfriend has a history of cheating and she loves to get male attention and I have seen her texting exes and calling a guy babe on instagram. She promised me that she will never do anything to break my trust again and that she really does see me as a potential husband. What will happen if I continue this relationship? Will things get worse the longer it continues? Thanks everyone.

AIO my boyfriend changed the password to his computer.
I feel like I need to give a little bit of background here so all of this makes sense, sorry this is gonna be a long one.
I’ve been with my boyfriend for about 6 months, we were dating or seeing each other for about 4 months before that, mind you, in the last 2 months of those 4 months we were seeing each I thought we were exclusive, he would call me his girl a lot of the times, spend all the holidays with me, made me face time with his dad, spend almost everynight at my house, damn I was even doing his laundry, so in my head we were officially dating, but then at the same time he was doing a lot of shit that made me extremely confused, never posting me on his socials, even hiding pictures that I tagged him, sometimes he would disappear for a couple of days and things like that. When I asked him what the hell he wanted and confronted him about all of this he always said that he wanted to be with me and that there was no one else and that I was over reacting (there was a lot of gaslighting yes, I’m aware) after those horrible 4 months of not knowing what the hell we were, we finally had a conversation and he did told me we were oficial, a week after this I found out he was texting daily with a girl who he dated at the beginning of last year, this girl lives in a different country (in her head they were in a relationship) I confronted him about this and he was extremely sorry that he wasn’t being honest we neither of us, that he didn’t know how to tell her that he was dating me, he ended up telling her the truth and that he wouldn’t be speaking to her anymore, he also was honest about how all those 4 months we were seeing each other he was talking to multiple girls, and even using tinder, he begged for another chance, that he was done fucking around cuz I was basically end game for him, and that he truly loved me, so I decided to forgive him, but there was something still bugging me, a few weeks before we were oficial he went on what apparently was a solo trip to another country, but I then found a girl who is a friend of his (I know who she is because we have friends in common too) was also at the same cities he was at the same time, damn she even starting posting pictures at the same places, I asked him about all of this and he just said that she was there with his boyfriend and that they just hang out sometimes, this for whatever reason never made sense to me, but I decided to believe him. Fast forward all this months every single time there was some kind of fight about me not trusting him or whatever and I asked about that trip he kept saying the same, that he went by himself and nothing else and that was the truth. We then move in together and he’s been a 10/10 boyfriend since we made it oficial, hasn’t give me a reason at all to suspect about him being unfaithful, he’s been nothing but amazing. I knew the password to his laptop so I could watch Netflix and I couldn’t help one day to look through his pictures, because deep down in me I knew he was lying about that trip, turns out I was right and I found all the photos, they did not only went on the trip together, they stayed at the same room hotel, she even stayed at his house in the same bed I used to sleep the night they left, I was absolutely heart broken, I confront her him about this, I wasn’t only mad about him going with the girl, I was mad about him not telling me the truth from the beginning, and him lying non stop every single time I asked, he told me he was sacred to tell me the truth because he knew I would leave him, that he regrets going on that trip, he swears that nothing really happened, that they actually got into a fight because she wanted to sleep with him and he didn’t want to, so the girl felt like he made her waste her time, they haven’t spoken since that trip and that was it, he swore they were no more lies and that was it, of course I do not believe the whole story but I kinda decided to let it go because it happened before we were oficial, this shit did fucked me up and made me a very insecure person tbh. Now since we’ve been oficial like I said he hasn’t given me a reason to suspect anything else, he’s been an amazing boyfriend, loves me deeply, treats me great, we have the best time together, and he talks a lot about how this is end game form him, that he knows he fucked up at the beginning a lot and that he’s extremely sorry for all that and wish he could take all back, he has made a great effort all this months to show me he is not messing around with me anymore, he has truly changed and I am head over heels over this boy, obviously but I don’t know how to learn to trust and is destroying me I don’t wanna feel paranoid forever… So here’s the situation I’m dealing with now.. after I found the photos on his laptop, I kept looking every now and then (yes I know this is bad but I’m extremely scared to be lied again) I haven’t found anything else other than him looking at porn every now and then which I honestly dgaf, I guess he realized I was looking into his computer so he started deleting his search history, never said anything and well I kept looking into it to see if I ever found something, but suddenly he changed the password to his computer,hasn’t said anything’s and acts completely normal.. and this made me feel extremely insecure, cuz I don’t know if he’s just tired of me looking into it or if he’s hiding something. So I don’t know if should just let it go and learn to trust him without having to look at his stuff, or if I should have a conversation with him that I need an open phone policy or something so I can build trust again? I have never been someone to look into my partners stuff, but I also have only been in relationships were there was never any unfaithfulness, I had always has access to my ex- BF phone or whatever because they never really had anything to hide, I knew all passwords and everything same on my side I never have an issue with my partner grabbing my phone or knowing my passwords to stuff because well, they will not find anything strange nor did I care if they wanted to use my phone . Please help, I love this boy with all my heart and I know he loves me too, but I’m scared that my insecurities will fuck this relationship up, I wanna learn to trust him but I don’t know what the best route is

I'm a newbie at work and I'm still in my trial period, yesterday this intern came into our (me and my newbie collegue) office asking for "help", the engineer who was supervising him aka my superior wasn't around so i thought he was genuinely asking for help. Turns out he was just pulling a stunt to get the answers ready and not work for them, he asked for a report on this study and I thought it was fine to send it to him to help him out, when actually he had already tried to get another engineer to send it to him but it didn't work so he came to us newbies and I fell for it. I informed my superior today that i sent this stupid intern the report and he was like "i was refraining from doing so and he was just playing dumb i explained this to him already" and he said that i should try to keep this contained and not let it get to the boss and told me to avoid having this happen again cuz the reports are confidentiel and what if they fall in the hands of our competitors. But what if this kid sends this report to someone else and it gets out and my boss finds out, he'll yell at me and fire me. I feel so uneasy and idk what to do. My contract says if i make a grave mistake such as divulging confidentiel information or professional secrets it could warrant for my contract to be terminated with no compensation or a notice and idk if this mistake falls under that category cuz i didn't mean to get information out, i was just helping out an intern or so I thought. Idk if I'll make it and my superior isn't around rn so idk im in distress and my head hurts and i cant work effectively now thinking that I could be fired. What do you think?

While you're here, check out my Script Masterlist!
If you want your own script just like this one, I now have a Ko-Fi and Commissions are open!
Hi everyone!
Here is the first of four scripts I was endorsed by the ASMR RP Lounge to write. They'll be released over the next few days since it's now been a month since I posted them there.
I'm intending on writing a second part to this series, I'll get to it when I get to it.
I know I've been quite inactive recently (the most inactive since I started writing on this subreddit). There are reasons for that, mainly because I'm busy! So apologies, not sure when that'll change. Hope everyone enjoys this in the meantime.
If people want to fill this, please do! Monetization and paywalls are fine, just provide credit and a link.
This script is intended to be [A4A] so fill in any pronouns as necessary, and please ignore any I might have left in by mistake.
As always, please enjoy and have a good day.
***
(We’re on a quiet battlefield. After a moment we hear the sounds of giant footsteps coming closer).
Ah, a survivor… about time. I was beginning to think I hadn’t left any… other than the soldiers that ran of course. Not much I can do about them. Though I suppose their escaping is a boon… it’ll tell people to leave me alone…
Which, realistically, they should have known to begin with, shouldn’t they?
I mean… who looks at a giant and thinks “yes! I’ll take them on! That’s a fight worth fighting!”
(Sighs).
The people that came here were very foolish… just like you’re foolish for staying, my little friend. Though… it seems you didn’t have much choice in the matter, caged as you are. A curious situation to be in, I must say…
Hmm.
Let me get a look at you.
(Optional: We hear the Speaker crouch down. Given their size it’s quite the motion).
Startled so easily… does my size scare you?
I don’t blame you… but can’t say I relate. There are very few beings taller than myself… the few I’ve encountered are typically other giants, and while they may have been taller and stronger… they never stood a chance. I made up for it in skill, you see. And skill is always the thing that matters most in a fight. Once, I would have said it was numbers… but I think I proved that to be false today, didn’t I?
The army you came with must have been a few hundred strong! Now, they’re down to a couple dozen… their bodies decorating the battlefield… and the underside of my boots. Believe me, it wasn’t intentional… I hate scraping muck and gunk off my soles just as much as the next person… but it’s so hard to move around you little folks… you get everywhere.
…
“Like ants?”
I… don’t know what those are, little soldier… I’m not saying they don’t exist, but I’ve never seen them.
Another thing I’ve never seen… is someone willing to converse with a giant so quickly.
Not a moment ago, you were practically trembling in my presence… perhaps you’ve realised I’m not planning on harming you?
…yes, you heard right. I don’t intend to cause you any pain, little soldier… Believe it or not, I don’t actively seek out conflict. It’s just… being a giant… conflict always seems to seek out me.
I do have questions, however… and while I may not wish to harm you, you not answering them will make me angry… and you won’t be wanting that.
That cage you’re in… it would be very easy for me to destroy it.
I’m sure there’s a key for the door somewhere… perhaps on one of the bodies surrounding it… perhaps on the bottom of my boot… but I won’t be needing it. With a flicker of my finger, the door would collapse… but I won’t be doing it, unless you tell me what I want to hear.
Now… why did these people attack me?
I know it was due to my size… but I want to know specifically.
Prior to your assault upon my person, I was just exploring… that’s what I like to do, see. I’m an adventurer… a sight seer. I like finding new things and being by myself! Imagine my displeasure when I was enjoying a beautiful morning, only for hundreds of angry little people to come out and start attacking me, start… (effort) throwing these little sticks at me! Ugh… just pulled one out. I thought I’d gotten rid of all them… I barely felt them by the way… they were very ineffective. If I’m the first giant you people have hunted, you’re not very good at it.
…
Hmm… well, if this “king” ordered them to, I have no regret for what happened. They chose to follow those orders… which means they chose the consequences as well.
Was this king with them? Perhaps leading the charge? Did I smite him already?
…
Well, if he wasn’t, I suppose that says a lot about his character. Guess I’ll have to be paying him a visit, won’t I?
He wouldn’t happen to be the king of the kingdom I can see in the distance, would he?
…
(Amused) Yes, I know it’s many miles away for you, my little friend… but for me it’s less than a minute’s journey. It’s sorely tempting to head there now and have some words with this fellow… but there are other matters I must attend to here, first.
Namely… you.
…
Fear not, fear not, I said I would not harm you, didn’t I? And I’m not a liar… we giants don’t do that, despite the tales you humans tell, about us. I for one have never told a lie in my life and am certainly not going to start now.
I will not harm you. I promise. Though I am curious… how did you come to be in this cage? It locks from the outside, meaning it can’t have been voluntary… but at the same time… why would someone lock up a fellow soldier like this? And worse, leave them when the attack went sour? For all they knew I could have killed you once I found you…
…really? You were… protesting the attack? Telling the others, it was a fruitless endeavour?
Hmm. I’m not certain if I believe you…
But say you were. For what reason?
Was it because you felt I was an innocent and didn’t deserve such an assault?
…or was it due to cowardice? You knew your army didn’t stand a chance, and didn’t wish to die?
I must say, if it’s the latter, it does you no favours, little one… though at the same time… the former would sound quite… convenient. After all, a wolf would bite its own leg off to escape a trap… and while you humans are quick to call giants liars, you are awfully fond of doing the same!
Now look into my giant eyes and tell me… the truth.
Are you a coward, or are you a pacifist? Did you seek to escape harm… or prevent it?
…
Hmm, perhaps a mixture of both.
Yes, that sounds right… and fair.
Very well, little human… I’ve heard enough.
(The Speaker knocks the cell door open).
Go.
You’re free. You have answered the few questions I had in a sufficient enough manner… and I could not live with myself if I knowingly left a creature imprisoned… so go! I will not stop you. In fact, I may join you if you are returning to your kingdom… after all, I would not mind having words with the monarchy ther-
Hmm?
Is everything alright, my little friend? What is it you wish to say?
…
Well, of course I care what you have to say! I’m not a monster… and to tell the truth I have been enjoying our conversation so far. It’s been a nice change from the bloodshed that preceded it! So go ahead! Say what you want to say!
…
Ah. Yes, I suppose returning home could be a problem for you.
If your fellows were truly planning on executing you, I doubt returning after being freed by the giant they were hunting would do you any favours. They might just execute you… after all, they can’t do that to me, and might want to take their frustrations out on someone else…
But what of your family? Will they not miss you?
…ah, an orphan.
In that case then, my mind is made up. If there is no one that will miss you, and returning means certain death, I see no other choice… I must help you.
After all, you must be… cold. Perhaps starved and in need of something to eat, and if that is the case I would like to correct it.
I have a lair, not far from here… Well, not by my standards, anyway. Inside, I have plenty of food… uh, to you at least! Would you like to venture there and eat some with me?
…
Ah, the king can wait till tomorrow. It’s not like he’s going anywhere! Besides… that battle has left me awfully tired. I could do with a lie down… so come, my little friend… step into my hand. I promise you won’t fall! I’ll take you to my home, and from there…? Well! Who knows what the future holds?
(We fade out on the sound of the giant’s footsteps).

So there's a guy(20'sM) i(20'sF) have slowly developed feelings for across a term of uni. i think he's very cute, has gorgeous eyes, and i really like that he's around the same height as me cause i dont like when guys are heaps taller than me, and he's very sweet and kind.
anyway across the term through seeing him in class and interacting with him due to class activites/group work i have developed feelings for him. i thought maybe he might like me back as often i've noticed him looking over at me. but at the same time i was confused because with everyone in the class he jokes around alot with them alot, but he doesn't joke with me. like he's not rude or anything. quite the oppoiste. he's very sweet to me and always compliments my ideas and like really listens to what i say. and we've been in the same group for an assignment lately and there will be times he stands really close or brushes into me when there was no need to.
and like today we had to present our assignment in class. he asks if he looks alright before we go on. i say he looks good. he grabs a handheld mirror that was sitting on a desk and looks at himself and says its fine, and then points the mirror at me and goes 'oh perfect' like he literally turned the mirror to me and then said perfect. so obviously i think thats like a reallly good sign. i mean why would you point a mirror at someone and call them perfect?? but maybe he was just messing around though? but it didnt have an insincere tone, and it wasn't how he just with everyone else in the class. and like all day today he was standing quite close to me, but might just be overthinking things cause i like him and am looking for "signs"????
BUT then after the presentation on of the other girls in the group mentions to me that she thinks he has a crush on her cause he always tries to banter with her, and stuff like that. and like he does vibe with her so now im just confused in my head. but she said she doesnt like him at all, and finds him weird. so maybe its like some weird straight line where i like him and he likes her. but its just thrown me off that she said that unprompted cause like he doesnt joke aorund with her and she is very pretty (not putting myself down, just stating she is very pretty). im just not sure.
does he like her or me or neither of us and am i completely overthinking the situation. and we have a small department at our university so i wouldn't want to make anything messy. i try and avoid liking guys from uni cause my majors aren't the biggest and i would rather avoid any awkward situations.

I'll try to be as impartial as possible given the circumstances. anxiety has been a part of my life for the past 30 years. I was having textbook panic attacks as young as 4. depression is my "normal". plus everything that comes with it, ocd, paranoia, migraines, chest pain, etc. and a general disdain for social interactions, even online. say I have to spend a week visiting my family, I'll be bedridden for a month afterwards. even something as innocuous can be extremely taxing. it's like "I need to recharge after socializing" cranked to eleven.
because of that, in all honesty, I haven't actively sought out therapy. psychiatric help. talking to people hurts. drugs are another problem. everything I'm prescribed has horrible side effects. skin rashes, gastric ulcers, amnesia. a lot of professionals are "unprepared to tackle a case like mine" (their words, not mine). I don't know if there's a genetic component involved, but I do know my mom is the root cause. nobody is this messed up for no reason, right?
my mom was raised in a strict, religious household. she was constantly pitted against her golden child cousin. and her own mother would make a point that she wasn't up to snuff. she resents grandma for a myriad of reasons but never acts on it. and she assumed I'd extend her the same courtesy, "because it's the right thing to do". as if it was ok to ruin my life because I *had* to forgive her. I believe she's gay because she despises the notion of sex. I know this because even as a kid she'd vent, literally throw tantrums, to anyone or just herself, within an earshot of my toddler self. about how she hated being a stay-at-home wife, how her husband cheated on her, how he wanted to do the most vanilla things you can imagine in bed and she still thought he was a pervert. even my strict, religious grandmother thought she was overreacting (nobody was safe from her oversharing)
imagine being a teenager in that position. she'd shame me or indirectly make me feel dirty. I'd never dare share anything of that nature, but I knew what she thought of my urges, how they made me less than. this was worsened by how close we were. I know now this closeness was fabricated rather than genuine fondness. my mom was the only person in my life. she forbid my father from being alone with me "because he was a pervert". she'd humiliate me in front of my friends until they labeled me a loser and left. and the ones that remained she'd try her hardest to drive away; I remember this one time she belittled me for a week simply because I asked her if I could spend the day over a friends' house. she emotionally blackmailed me in order to control me. the implication being "how can you love me if you won't do exactly as I say? or if you enjoy seeing women naked"
remember the oversharing? random people would come up to me saying I was a horrible son. because she would take any chance to make herself a martyr to complete strangers. funny part is that those people would distance themselves shortly after. because mom is an emotional black hole. and they never apologized or offered help. there's a lot more, but this should paint a nice picture: she bathed me until I was 15. she realized she was losing control when I asked her to stop. I almost had to get physical to get her to. what followed were 4 grueling years of me trying to regain control and distance myself from her. nobody in my family helped me because "it was just a phase". I thought mom would come around eventually, but she never did. so I said f* it, moved in with grandma and told mom to stay the hell away. she blamed grandma for taking me in.
fast forward a decade and here's the breaking point. grandma had a few properties to her name that she wanted to sign over to me, so I wouldn't be hit with hefty taxes once she and mom passed. the only stipulation being that mom was allowed to live in any of them for as long as she wanted. I agreed. when mom heard the news, she went ballistic. she said she didn't trust me and was sure "I was going to steal her home", even though there was a contract, and that she hated my grandmother for "picking her grandson over her own daughter". grandma is 90. I thought the stress was going to kill her. so I called mom in order to settle this ourselves. it was a long conversation where she denied everything at first, before admitting that she knew what she did to me was wrong, but didn't care. and that she wouldn't stop until the properties were signed over to her.
I told her I wouldn't be able to cover the taxes, because I obviously can't hold a job. that I'd lose everything after she died and that I very much needed the money from renting them to survive. I begged her. I swore on my wife's life that I had no intention of kicking her out, ever. she said no. "I don't trust you after everything you did to me". ironic, no? but for grandma's sake, I agreed. she signed everything over to mom with the new stipulation that she could rent them herself. grandma moved to an apartment and is renting one of the properties to help pay my bills. I moved far, far away. currently trying to find a bigger place so grandma can move in with us. and I cut all contact with mom after some harsh words that reduced her to a bawling mess. funny thing is that grandma and the rest of the family want me to reconcile, because "your mother misses you"
like I'm overreacting. am I? my entire life people tried to convince me I was, that mom never did anything *that* bad. you inevitably start questioning your motives. I'm not a good person. I'm a misanthrope and I find nobody relates to me because of it. I leech off my family. I manipulate people. I lie because it's easier than this. and the only thing I feel towards my mom is hate. so much so that I could do things to her that I'd probably regret. only because I'd lose everything I managed to scrounge in life, mind you. and this is all compounded by the fact I don't see myself as a victim. because I grew up in a nice neighborhood, or because my parents rarely hit me. etc. I don't feel deserving of the label. I also can never shake the feeling that this is partly my fault. that I could've spared myself of so much had I found the strength to put a stop to it sooner.

DC Next Proudly Presents:

NIGHTWING:

In Hunter Hybrid
Issue Fourteen: The Meek Shall Inherit
Written by AdamantAce
Edited by PatrollinTheMojave
 
<< First Issue < Prev. Next Issue > Coming Next Month
 
 
Dick's heart hammered against his chest like a pounding storm as he stood amidst the laboratory, flanked by Artemis and Barry Allen, the Flash. The weight of worry for Mar'i bore down on him unbearably, each moment without her amplifying his anxiety.
In the secluded closet hidden at the back of the lab, Dick and Artemis had found something haunting: a trove of withered seedlings, dead plants that looked alien in nature. Assuming the worst, but needing to confirm, Dick had quickly summoned a friend with a history of running genetic samples - none other than the Scarlet Speedster - to the scene.
Barry’s brow furrowed in concentration as he examined the specimens, having already run several tests.
“I'm limited in what I can do here; I'm a CSI, not a xenologist,” Barry admitted with regret, evoking his favourite chief medical officer of fiction. “Really, this really feels like a job for someone like Cadmus. Alien DNA is their whole deal.”
Dick could only grimace at the suggestion, reminded of the sickening experiments he had unearthed in the bowels of the Chicago cloning laboratory, of the dozens of aborted attempts at cloning Bruce Wayne. It was hard to stomach, especially knowing that he still had no idea who was responsible. “Not an option," he replied firmly. “Not Cadmus.”
Barry raised an eyebrow, his curiosity evident in his expression. “You don't believe those rumours about the Superboy clones, do you?" he asked. “They’re Reawakened through and through. Blame the other universes’ Cadmuses.”
In response, Dick shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s… something else.”
Barry then looked to Artemis and smiled. “It’s, uh… nice to meet you properly by the way,” he said. “I heard you, uh, shoot arrows.”
Despite the terrible situation they were in, Artemis allowed herself a snicker in response to the Flash’s awkwardness. “Among other things. It’s important to branch out, seeing as I know you already have an arrows guy.”
Just then, Tim emerged from behind a sliding door, draped in his red and black Rook gear, a stack of papers in hand. “Got the printouts you asked for,” he said, handing them over to Barry.
Barry swiftly flipped through the pages at super speed, his expression growing grim as he absorbed the information.
“What is it?” asked Artemis.
“What we feared,” he announced somberly. “The dead seedlings match the profile of alien species, with a significant DNA match for the Morning Eclipse sample you got from Starling’s fingernails.”
Dick's frustration boiled over, his voice dripping with anger. “Wilkof,” he spat, his jaw clenched in fury. “He let that damn killer plant loose.”
Tim struck himself in the shoulder in self-reproach. “I should've put it together sooner,” he muttered. “Wilkof knew plenty about Tamaran even before you let him speak to Mar’i.”
“It’s worse than we thought,” added Barry, and everyone’s blood turned cold. “This Dr Wilkof wasn't just releasing the Morning Eclipse, he was trying to propagate them; taking cuttings to grow more of them. We’re just lucky the Earth's sunlight is too diffuse for their growth.”
Dick's eyes widened in horror. “So he’s trying to create an army of killer plants?”
Barry nodded solemnly. “An army or a particularly menacing greenhouse.”
Artemis's brow furrowed as she pieced together a crucial detail. “Wait, a couple years ago they had me subbing in the bio department at school for a few months. I’m pretty sure plants grown from cuttings are meant to be genetically identical to the parent.”
Tim cursed under his breath and then reached for the printouts to give them a check over himself. “You’re right! Genetic variation only occurs after pollination. But these plants aren't self-pollinated. They're too distinct from the original sample taken from Mar'i’s attack.”
Barry's voice quivered as he raised a troubling possibility. “Could there be two adult killer plants on the loose?”
“No, it's not that,” Tim quickly replied again, his expression grave as he looked up from the stack of papers. “It's worse.”
Artemis' heart sank. “How could it possibly be worse?”
“The dead seedlings share identical DNA with each other. And every single one of their genes is present in the parent sample. But the parent also has additional chromosomes that all of the seedlings lack,” Tim explained as his eyes traced the text on the papers once more. “The parent had an extra 48 chromosomes.”
Barry's face paled. "48? Are you sure?”
“48? What does that mean?” asked Dick, looking rapidly back and forth between Tim and Barry.
Artemis gritted her teeth. “Humans have 48 chromosomes. The adult plant is half human.”
“Fully human,” Barry corrected. “And fully plant too. A symbiosis.”
“What does that mean?” asked Dick, scared of the answer he would soon receive.
“It means I think Wilkof merged himself with the plant.”
 
🔹🔹 🪶 🔹🔹
 
Ker-tonk.
Ker-tonk.
Ker-tonk.
Mar’i lay in the darkness of the car’s trunk, helpless. She couldn’t tell how long it had been since she last felt the sun’s warmth on her skin. She tried to summon childhood memories of Tamaran, of the sun her father had found oppressive and her mother found liberating. But they were distant and blurred, echoes from another lifetime - and another timeline.
As the car rumbled on, she focused on her senses, trying to glean any information about her surroundings. The air was stale and musty, tinged with the scent of oil and rubber. The vibrations of the road beneath her reverberated through her body, a constant reminder of her captivity.
Eventually, the car came to a halt, and Mar’i braced herself as the trunk door creaked open, flooding the confined space with blinding light. Blinking rapidly, she squinted against the harsh glare, feeling the rejuvenating solar rays bathing her, a stark contrast to the cold darkness of her confinement.
Dr Wilkof loomed over her, his appearance now almost normal except for a slight pallor that hinted at something darker beneath the surface. He reached out, his hands enveloping her wrists, which were bound with withered rope. Thick, barbed vines extended from the sleeves of his coat, renewing her restraints and further draining what little power reserves she had left.
As he dragged her up out of the trunk, Mar’i found herself in the midst of a desolate car park, surrounded by nothing but empty space and the looming silhouette of a large hangar. She had nary a clue of where they were.
“It will be easier if you don’t struggle,” he said, his tone devoid of joy or malice, as if he were simply stating a fact. But Mar’i knew better than to trust his words.
As Wilkof led her towards the hangar, Mar’i stumbled along behind him, the vines around her wrists taut like a leash. She tried to reason with him, to appeal to the vestiges of his humanity buried beneath the madness that gripped him.
“You don’t have to do this,” she implored, unsure of how much of his humanity really remained. “The plant doesn’t have to control you.”
Wilkof's eyes gleamed with a haunted fervour as he shook his head, the vines’ grip tightening around Mar'i’s wrists. “I've sacrificed too much to stop now,” he muttered. Those words carried a strange quality,like they weren’t fully his. Maybe it was the plant talking, maybe they were words he had rehearsed to himself enough times for them to become hollow. “I won’t let it all be in vain.”
For a moment, Mar’i was left to wonder what he meant by that. Then she remembered what little she knew about him, and a shiver ran down her spine. (He had fed the rest of his team from the lab to the plant, a grim sacrifice to fuel his delusions of grandeur.*
“No one cared about mild-mannered Hunter Wilkof,” he continued, his voice cracking with bitterness. “The plant promised to make me someone special, to make me famous.”
Mar’i shook her head in disbelief as she continued to be lugged along. “The plant doesn’t speak,” she insisted with a rising urgency. “Its pheromones mess with your mind, make you see and hear things that aren’t there.”
But Wilkof brushed off her words with a scoff. “I don’t care,” he replied, his gaze fixed on the hangar ahead. “I fed the plant like I was told, but the fame never came. I let it eat the only thing I ever loved. But… nothing changed.”
Her heart yearned to find some way to free him of the plant’s clutches, to help him see the light, but she knew well what desperation could do to a person, if left unchecked. She knew how far someone could fall.
“Then I realised… I wasn’t meant for prizes and celebrity,” he continued, deranged. “That wasn’t what the plant had planned for us. It’s just like you said in your Tamaranean fairy tale, the Morning Eclipse and its legend. I knew we were meant for infamy, but just one plant and its keeper wouldn’t do the trick. We needed a bigger family.”
At this point, Hunter stopped, and the pair had finally reached the mouth of the hangar. Mar’i searched through the darkness, but was struggling to see straight at all thanks to the toxic, draining effect of her Morning Eclipse vine restraints.
Wilkof just stared into the darkness, and continued. “I tried taking cuttings, but no matter how much blood, meat or southern exposure I gave them… it wasn’t enough, and they wilted. It wouldn’t tell me why it wasn’t working, and all I knew was that the plant was from Tamaran,” he confessed, his voice growing hoarse with emotion. “So I went to look for Starfire, but she was in space. And then… then I found you. A hybrid like me.”
But throughout Hunter’s grim confession, Mar’i was still missing some important details. “How did you know the plant was from Tamaran?” She defied him, “It doesn’t have a mind of its own, so it couldn’t have told you.”
Hunter smiled. “I used to drive out into the countryside and just leave my car behind, go for these long walks to clear my head when city life got too much,” he explained, a shroud of something resembling peace slowly falling over him. “I always felt guilty for it, reasoning I should have been spending that time in the lab, looking for ways to help people. But this one day, a few years ago now, I realised it was all worth it.”
He then pulled a remote from his pocket and pressed a button at its centre. As the lights of the hangar flickered to life, they revealed a magnificent sight, something Mar’i immediately recognised as a First Class Vegan Star Cruiser - a Tamaranean space vessel from the shipyards of Okaara - resplendent in hues of silver and violet. The ship stood tall and proud, a beacon of extraterrestrial wonder amidst the mundane surroundings of the hangar. But why was it here? And how did Wilkof have it?
He gestured towards the ship with an odd gleam in his eyes. “Suddenly, and without warning, this spaceship came crashing down through the sky just a couple of miles away, out here, where it was just me there to see it,” he explained. “So I rushed over, I searched the wreckage… and that’s where I found it. It was only a sapling, a baby really, and it called out to me. I knew I needed to take it home, back to the lab, back for testing.”
Mar’i shook her head. How was he to have known back then that the plant was pulling his strings?
“I stashed the ship away, knowing its potential,” he confessed. “The ship’s computer confirmed its origins: Tamaran. Apparently it even used to belong to a princess named Komand’r.”
Mar’i's mind raced as she processed this revelation. Komand’r - also known as the tyrant queen Blackfire - was Koriand’r’s sister, and Mar’i’s aunt. Someone she had already come across early in her time in this universe. Then, just in time for him to answer it without her asking, Mar’i happened upon another awful question.
“I got some guys in to make repairs, and another guy to… basically hotwire the thing, before I fed them all to the plant. But the ship won’t fly without one final security measure,” continued Hunter, his gaze fixed on Mar’i. “A pilot with Tamaranean DNA.”
 
🔹🔹 🪶 🔹🔹
 
Back in the lab, Dick, Artemis and Tim continued to put the pieces together, now sans Barry who had raced off to join Wally in combing the city for either Mar’i or the Morning Eclipse, not knowing that both were far from the city limits.
“Why Mar’i?” Dick demanded. “What does Wilkof want with her? Her Starbolts could be used to fuel the plant and its cuttings, but that’d only make a difference at night, when they can’t get sunlight for themselves.”
Artemis nodded in agreement. “Surely they can survive a night without sunlight,” she surmised. “So what else would he come to Mar’i for?”
“Could it be her DNA?” posed Tim. “Maybe he has a use for DNA from a Tamanrean.”
“What kind of uses?” asked Dick. It wouldn’t be that, but his mind once again returned to the cloning vats of Cadmus. “No, it’s not that.”
“Then what else could it be?” Artemis sighed, frustrated. All of this analysis, brainstorming and scheming, and they were no closer to finding the missing Titan.
Then, Dick’s face blanched with fear. “She knows the way,” he said simply, his voice barely above a whisper.
“The way to what?” asked Tim, his own anxiety rising.
“To Tamaran,” Dick replied with dread. “A place where the sun shines bright enough for a hundred Morning Eclipses.”
 
🔹🔹 🪶 🔹🔹
 
In the dimly lit interior of what was once her aunt Komand'r's ship, Mar'i's heart raced with fear and uncertainty, now strapped into her seat beside the demented Dr Wilkof. The vessel, a marvel of Vega System technology, exuded an otherworldly aura, its sleek silver surfaces shimmering with an ethereal glow. Yet, to Mar'i, it felt more like a prison than a wonder.
She couldn't shake the sense of dread that gripped her. Tamaran, a place she once called home, now loomed before her as an unfamiliar and foreboding destination. She knew of the tumultuous history of this universe's Tamaran, the tales of military coups and the reign of the Orange Lantern Larfleeze, all of which added to her apprehension. The planet had hundreds of Morning Eclipses, but none had ever merged with a sapient vessel before. The killer plants were best survived by being completely ignored, which wouldn’t be possible with an intelligent host scheming and bringing the plants to their vulnerable prey. Could she inflict that threat on Tamaran?
Wilkof's jubilant smile did little to assuage her fears as he spoke. “When we reach the planet - with its gleaming sun - I’ll have everything I need. I'll create more Morning Eclipses, genetically superior ones, and they will bond with Tamaranean vessels to enhance their intelligence. And then there’ll be no more sacrifices, just feeding.”
Mar'i's stomach churned at the thought of being complicit in Wilkof's madness. But she also knew that she was in no position to bargain. And he knew it.
With a heavy heart and a sense of resignation, Mar'i steeled herself for the task ahead and the ship hummed to life around them, hurtling toward an uncertain destiny.
Then, as they quickly hit sonic speed, Hunter turned to his pilot and prisoner, keen to share a thought he hoped would bring her peace. “I want you to know… once we get to Tamaran, I’ll never have to return to Earth again. Don’t think about where we’re going, think about what we’re leaving behind. This is you saving planet Earth.”
 
 
Next: Sun it up in Nightwing #15
 

28(F) and my boyf is 30(M), we have been together for 7 months now (first date was 7 months ago) have been boyf and girlf for about 2.5 months. It's his first relationship and he's made that apparent in the sense that we didn't have the exclusivity talk until i had bought it up, we didn't have the girlf boyf talk until i had bought it up. About two weeks ago i told him i loved him and he didn't say it back which was a sting in of itself but i think i dealt with it quite maturely. I have tried to be compassionate about this being his first relationship, he's not super close with his family (its a nuclear family but I don't think they're very affectionate towards each other). I have expressed multiple times to him that i would love to be more involved in his life, meet his friends more, do more spontaneous things (we don't live far at all from each other) and he has somewhat listened but I still don't feel completely heard (see below). I have also told him that my love language is cute messages, randomly being bought chocolates and flowers (as this shows that they have been thinking about you more than anything i can ofc buy myself flowers its more the thought that i am after than anything), being more involved in his life etc..
the thing that has stung a bit today and i'm not sure i'm overreacting to is that he has invited me to one of his close friends leaving party, i messaged him to check the date and told him that it clashed with my friends birthday which i messaged him to tell him that ofc he's invited too as well and then i said perhaps we can do a half day at X's (his friends) and half day at Y's (my friends), and his immediate response was 'no its X's leaving thing and i'd like to be there for him so no i won't come to Y's but you should definitley go to Y's/ don't not go to Y's on my account'. I was a bit hurt with this response as in my head i would always try to compromise but also my idea of a relationship i have is us being involved in each others lives (obvs not being in each other's pockets) but building a life together rather than living our own separate lives, i told him that he didn't even bother to ask what time Y (my friend's) thing was and where it was or even try to contemplate the idea of even popping into my friend's thing for a couple of hours, whereas i was willing to say yes lets do a few hours at my friends and then we can go to your friends leaving party and spend the rest of the day/ evening there. His reaction is that he thinks it's 'reasonable' for him to say that he won't be free on this day given one of his closest friends is leaving - which ofc i understand but it's more his general approach/ the context of our relationship that has left me feeling a bit bruised. I did reply to him saying that i'm not trying to push an agenda, i'm not someone to ever say we have to pick my friends over yours - i have told him multiple times i would love to meet his friends, especially this particular friend who is leaving and it would actually have been nice to have seen him some point in these 7 months we have been dating (considering how close they apparently are).
Anyways, i am not sure how to react. I am definitely not someone to die in a ditch over these things but i just genuinely feel like i am not being listened to, my emotional needs are being ignored (no matter how much i try to temper them down and try to act like a 'cool girl' who tries to be easy breezy), perhaps given the duration of our relationship i should try to be more easy breezy?
Anyways would love some insight into how to approach this clash of dates situation/ am i overreacting.

This is not a drill.
If you have any experience or interest in portraying a military man or woman in a realistic, apocalyptic depiction of the near future in North America— you're in the right place.
We will dive head first into the minds of the soldiers and survivors. Our characters will navigate a realistic setting and find themselves in extreme situations. Their metal will be brutally tested.
I seek all the dedicated rookies and people who hold the insider knowledge of the bowels of the military machinery. You can rp as a professional or a recently recruited civilian, a good or bad guy, any gender and backstory works. Whoever our characters were before the world ended won't matter. It's who they become that will be their savior or their downfall—their legacy.
There are people to save. Bonds to strengthen. Hearts to break. Redeem or betray yourself. This is it. No-holds barred. Are you in?
If you're interested, make sure to match the following guidelines. There's a catch to this roleplay but that's classified so just hit my inbox.
// Guidelines //
— respect and common sense in a relaxed atmosphere
— please be an adult, experienced, open minded and long-term co-creator not looking for a quick fix, a dice game, or to be led by the hand; it's going to be a collaborative effort (I can elaborate)
— multi paragraph, proofed replies please, but no need for flowery novellas unless that's your style
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Don't be shy, come say Hi in my chat/PMs. I’ll be happy to share all the basic lore info and answer any questions you might have. I'm looking forward to meeting you so don’t worry if I take a while to respond, cheers.

I (20f) became friends with J (20f) back in high school, drifted apart (though we kinda sorta stayed in touch) and then reunited.
We drifted apart because my mental health went wibbly wobbly, and I talked about it to her and then she kinda started not picking up my calls, she would say she was busy or sleeping, I took the hint, it's fair she didn't want to hear about it, she didn't really reach out, she texted and I replied whenever she did, though those texts were few, and after I stopped initiating she did too and yeah.
We reconnected, I knew she was in a relationship with this guy T(27M), their relationship is toxic at least from what I've been told by her and what I've seen, she met him when she was fifteen or sixteen? He gave mixed signals to her, rejected her but still stayed in contact, she stopped talking to him for a bit, throughout our friendship she wasn't in contact with him, after we reconnected, they were together, they got together after he realised he won't get a girl who loves him like she does, his words apparently. She started telling stuff about their relationship like fights that they had, and to surmise he has anger issues, she has a short temper too, he bangs his head or hand on wall, she throws stuff in anger, he has raised his hand on his sis once, she told me that, after his sis kept badmouthing J and he was on an important call.
After all that when they had a fight, and she asked for my advice I told her that this doesn't seem healthy and his anger makes me worried for her, what if he raised his hand on her? She's adamant he would never. Also, after she told me about the sis thing, she sorta said something that sounded like she was defending what he did, she said she would have reacted the same if it happened to her, that's not what she would have said, the girl I knew wouldn't have.
Recently, she told me she kissed her guy best friend (20M), well at first she told me he tried to kiss her, I've told her not to talk to him after she told me he has feelings for her, she stops talking to him for a bit then starts again, feels guilty as he doesn't have friends, after she told me he tried to kiss her many times, I got worried, telling her it's harrasment to kiss her even after she said no, she felt guilty and told me they'd kissed, many times, but she hasn't done that again, that made me think she's not the person she was, I told her she should tell T, she said she can't because he would explode and drag everyone as well as cops and it sounded scary enough that her safety is threatened, so I told her she shouldn't stay with a guy like that, and breakup for other reasons, she said she can't because she loves him and that they've finally sorted everything out. She's still in contact with the guy friend.
I've also noticed that her texts when she's fighting with T or guy friend are more compared to when she's not fighting and stuff, I feel like she only talks to me when she wants to vent, which is fine, but I feel exhausted, she asks for advice then discards it after, and all that stuff is making me think she's not who she was before. We used to talk about anything back then, and I also feel weird about her still being with T and staying friends with her guy friend.
I don't want to stop talking to her because I worry for her because of T. I'm not going to say anything to her now because her tests are coming and I don't want her to feel bad or overthink, but after her exams should I tell her how I feel? How should I explain that her behaviour is making me exhausted without making her feel bad?
Edit —: I know more can be added in there, but it would make the post too long, I'll try to answer questions you guys might have, I just want to see more opinions then I'll delete this account. Thankyou.

Being eaten.
No, I do not mean being on the receiving end as someone goes down on you. Sex seems to be popular in fiction these days, if the shitty Fifty Shades of Grey is any indication, and I sorely, desperately wish what I was about to write was all fiction. Then I could sprinkle some gratuitous sex on it, go to a publisher, and hope that it would sell. Then I would be not risking my job altogether sharing this so that strangers on the Internet would at least know of my suffering in having to watch human beings die brutal, bloody deaths to satisfy a desire even more primal than sex and far less pleasurable.
Yes, I’m talking about eating. And about being literally, bona fide eaten. An incredulous notion in modern society, where we live in concrete houses and walk on asphalt streets. Where the animals we encounter are anywhere between little quacking ducks and crotch-high geese. We live free of our early ancestor’s fear of becoming something else’s food. Crocodile, tiger, lion - pick your customer. It, in most cases, starts with the intense pressure of clamp-strong jaws, driving teeth into parts of your body where teeth should not be stabbing into. Depending on how lucky you are, there will likely be hellish pain lasting anywhere from seconds to minutes (that I am willing to bet feels much longer) before death takes you. What happens to your consciousness after that is a popular debate. What happens to your body is not. You get chewed into a consistency similar to hamburger patties in some cases, swallowed whole in others. Different vehicles to the same destination of an acidic stomach. Your useful parts are broken down into a mushy soup. The rest are ejected from the back end.
A shitty way to go, literally and metaphorically. A living human being, full of emotions and dreams and hope, turned into lifeless steak, soup then shit. At least three out of five young men and women whose last days I will recount below went that way. The other two… well, let’s say that it has been three weeks at this time of writing, and I do not have much hope.
The day started with Matthew dropping several paper files in beige covers on my desk. When I opened it and saw a report complete with pictures of grinning people on the first page, I knew right there and then that it was going to be anything but a normal day at work.
“Missing?” I asked, eyebrows raising. It was the single possibility. Police could have pictures on their desks for all kinds of stuff, but not us rangers. Only then did I notice the tight line Matthew’s lips had pressed into.
“Not like that, no.” He shook his head. “None of them got lost. All five came down here from Sydney, stayed at Winston Ward’s place. That’s Ward’s daughter, Madeleine.” His fingers pressed on the picture of a girl at the top of the page. Hair dyed blue and with the brightest smile of the bunch, I noticed. “She and one other, Cathy, their Indigenous guide, are the two still missing.” Matthew pointed next to the picture below Madeleine. Cathy was dark-skinned and had a hiking stick resting above her shoulder, clearly posing for some sort of promotional photo. “And these three, well…”
I took a quick glance at the other photos. Steve Wilson had the build of a runner, wiry and dressed in a tank top to match. Lisa Mooney, blonde with gold-rimmed glasses. Ashley Lo - his curly dark hair tied back into a ponytail. I knew I would not have to pay extra-close attention to their appearance. Two missing.
“I don’t know, man. Kind of wanted your input on it, too.” Matthew shook his head. “Best you see it for yourself. The police could not decide if it was murder or an animal attack, so they requested us. Found all three of them ripped apart. Caught, well, a suspect, I suppose, on their own cam-”
“You kidding? A suspect and they could not decide if it’s an animal attack or not?”
“I know, Tom, watch it for yourself and tell me I’m not crazy. Hells, they didn’t just have the pictures. Caught the damned killings on film, and still can’t decide if he, it - whatever - is man or animal. I will send the footage over in a bit. Some photos are in there, too. Just don’t puke up your breakfast. I’m seriously thinking of going vegan.”
What the fuck?
I frowned. Matthew could not wait for someone to share his hell, I supposed, and quickly retreated back into his office, leaving me alone with the papers.
Here are the facts.
Winston Ward, your typical real estate rich guy, bought some bushland last year next to our park. His plan was straightforward - setting up lavish air-conditioned bungalows amidst the Australian bush, complete with five-star hotel facilities such as private pools and a fine dining restaurant. A luxury retreat amidst trees and shrubs, letting you enjoy the best of nature and avoiding the worst. No insect stings, soaking rains or blistering heat that the normal campers had to suffer. Just a couple of hours drive from Sydney to boot. All well and good, except for the fact that it came alarmingly close to intruding on national park’s land. So Parks and Wildlife Service took notice and kept a close eye on Ward’s project. So far, even though he has not opened his retreat and nothing illegal had been done, Ward became a popular name among us rangers. Just in case.
I certainly did not expect his name - or his family’s name - rather, to come up this way.
It had been Ashley’s idea. An Ecology graduate, he wanted to make a documentary about Aboriginal people’s way of sustainable living among nature. He got his girlfriend, Madeleine Ward, into it, alongside fellow graduates Steve and Lisa. Madeleine easily secured the filming spot with her father. They hired Cathy as the expert for the film, and the five of them occupied two bungalows. Living in the lap of luxury while trying to promote sustainability. Three cameras were installed. Two security cams for each bungalow, expectedly. The third was a camera trap, the kind used on wildlife trails to capture pictures and videos of animals. Likely intended for fun.
As much as I respect the purpose of their never-finished documentary, I find twenty six-year-old Ashley rather hypocritical, and rather gross given how Madeleine only turned eighteen three months ago. But not to speak ill of the dead, I suppose.
I braced myself as I turned the page for the photos, and failed to stop the dry-heave that came up. Three bodies, gnawed clean of flesh. Strands of dark curly hair on the first mangled head identified it as Ashley’s. The skull was smashed open, its insides, empty where a brain had been licked clean, caked with dried blood. Shattered pieces of his bones were strewn over muddy soil, brown rain water filling in troughs where the marrow that had been sucked out. Steve and Lisa was in roughly a familiar state, and I shivered at how disturbingly clean the bones were. Take away the skull that clearly showed the remains to be human, and it could have been a smokehouse’s dump - filled with finished ribs and chicken wings.
And yet, the final photo proved even more unsettling.
It was a still taken from one of the security cameras. At night, judging from the grey filter. It was still bright enough, however, for me to make out the grassy front of a bungalow. Bushes and shrubs lined the far end. A dark figure loomed over them, casting a long shadow.
I shivered once more.
I had walked into the bushes hundreds, if not thousands, of times. I knew how dense they could be - reaching up to your chests in many places. That figure - standing on two legs with long arms drooping at its side - barely had its knees covered by the shrubs. The photo, even though grainy, was clear enough for me to make out a domed head resting upon a neck so thick the figure might as well be said to lack one. Matching broad shoulders held up that neck, deltoids bulging. The… thing, apparently, had little hair as far as I could see.
I did not notice how hard I had clenched my jaws until a cramp-like pain made me grunt. Matthew could not be fucking with me, could he? I had worked with the guy for years. I called the local police station. The woman on the other end confirmed it. Unless a whole station was in on the prank with Matthew - an idea equally impossible as what I was seeing - it seemed like we had won the reverse lottery of missing and dead people cases.
As much as the Internet likes to make fun of its deadly wildlife, most of Australia has no large land predators. Dingoes are pretty much your average dog. The huge crocs live way too far to the north and sharks do not magically appear in the middle of bushlands. Neither looked like some psychopathic, cannibalistic basketball player wearing a shaved-clean, badly proportioned gorilla suit. The police’s best option was us, I could tell, but as far as me and Matthew went, we were equally clueless.
I shook my head and rubbed my temples - for a moment questioning my sense of reality. That was until an alert jabbed into the screen of my desktop. Matthew’s email.
Here are the footages, Tom. Crazy stuff. I got them to send us a scan of Madeleine’s journal, too. Found where those kids were seen last.
An unholy amount of files came in a link he attached.
The rest of my day was spent going through them all. I still know not what to make of what I saw, and I need time to collect myself before I can write of what I have seen on those tapes.
I need a nap. And dinner. But no meat. I agree with Matthew. As much as I loved a nice scotch fillet, I’m probably going vegan for a while.

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Hey, running a scenario by you guys for your input. Can you help me wrap my head around this? I'll of course consult a professional, but wanted to start here with the real professionals ;-)
Say I made a few purchases around 2013 and 2014 that, added together, summed 2 whole BTC. Over the years I transferred the coins between an exchange and an offline wallet that I own once or twice, but that was mostly experimental. There were slight losses due to transaction fees. But mostly the coins were on an exchange and no purchases or sales were made to earn/cash out the coins in any way.
Around 2017 and then again in 2020 a day-trade or two were made and I sold a small portion in the morning and bought back later that day. Otherwise the coins have remained on the exchange and untouched.
I am now in a position where I want to cash out. Can I simply calculate how much I spent on the coins, subtract that from their current value, and expect to pay ~15% on the difference (because I'd be within the $89k-553k tax bracket for long-term capital gains)? Or will it get all complicated due to the in-between handful of day trades? I've never paid taxes on crypto, but am looking to do this 1) legally and 2) optimally.
Thank you!